In a game that featured four goaltender changes, Aleksander Barkov scored two goals as the Florida Panthers remained hot with a 5-4 overtime win over the Washington Capitals on Thursday night in Sunrise, Fla.
The winning goal, which came with 3:05 left in OT, was credited to Eetu Luostarinen as his pass went in off the stick of Washington’s Tom Wilson.
The Panthers have yet to lose in regulation this season.
Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky, who stopped all 13 shots faced, left the game after the first period due to a lower-body injury. He was replaced by Spencer Knight, who made 25 saves.
Meanwhile, there was confusion in the nets for Washington. Ilya Samsonov was announced as the starter, but Vitek Vanecek played the first 105 seconds before Samsonov replaced him. After Samsonov allowed three goals, Washington went back to Vanecek.
Washington’s Alex Ovechkin scored his league-leading 10th goal of the season. His 740 career goals place him one behind Brett Hull for fourth place on the all-time NHL list.
Barkov has seven goals this season, including five in his past three games. He also has 188 career goals, tying him with Olli Jokinen for the most in Panthers history.
Florida also got goals from Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour.
Washington also got goals from Daniel Sprong, Wilson and rookie Connor McMichael. It was McMichael’s first career goal.
Chase Priskie became the first Florida-born player to make his NHL debut for the Panthers. Priskie — who is from Broward County, where the Panthers’ arena is located — played 10:37 but did not get a point.
Florida led 2-0 after the first period as Barkov and Ekblad scored.
Knight started the second period and was beaten 43 seconds later on Sprong’s breakaway. The play was set up by Anthony Mantha’s perfect stretch pass.
The Panthers made it 3-1, however, as Montour fired a perfectly placed shot to the top left corner. Samsonov never saw the puck and was immediately removed in favor of Vanecek.
With 7:50 left in the second, Barkov appeared to score again, but the goal was wiped out due to goalie interference on Patric Hornqvist.
Barkov did get his second tally just eight minutes later, on a power play.
But Washington scored the next three goals to tie the score 4-4. The Caps got goals on Ovechkin’s wrist shot with 1:49 left in the second and on Wilson’s deflection with just 17 seconds left in the second. McMichael then scored with 13:04 left in the third, setting up the overtime drama.
–Field Level Media